Babygirl Gives New Meaning to Guilty Pleasure

A24

3.5/5 stars

Romance movies have been more upfront in the last decade in portraying the intricacies of kink and BDSM. Unfortunately, some of the most popular films in the subgenre seem to forget the three most important parts of these relationships: "Safe, Sane, and Consensual." Halina Reijn's (Bodies Bodies Bodies) new film Babygirl dives into the psychology of wanting this kind of relationship but unlike films like 50 Shades of Grey (bad) and 365 Days (even worse), it does so in a mature, thoughtful manner that makes for some fascinating viewing.

Romy (Nicole Kidman) is an overworked CEO for a warehouse automation company who is rich, powerful, and living a seemingly happy life with her two daughters and husband Jacob (Antonio Banderas). However, something is missing in her life. The pressures of her job and family lead her into finding a way of letting go of her responsibilities. She finds this in Samuel (Harris Dickinson), her much younger intern, when the two enter a relationship that allows her to relinquish all control to him. This relationship is exactly what she's been looking for, but it could cause her to lose everything.

The film succeeds in dealing with the nuances of dominance and submission and the power dynamics involved in kink, and without psychoanalyzing her characters, Reijn gets into the internal reasoning behind these kinds of desires (it is interesting to learn that Romy grew up in a cult). Without spoiling anything, the ending wraps things up a little too neatly for a story like this, but seeing kink portrayed in such a smart, adult manner is very refreshing.

Written and directed by Helina Reijn // Starring: Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Sophie Wilde, Esther-Rose McGregor, Vaughan Reilly, Victor Slezak, Leslie Silva, Molly Price, and Antonio Banderas // 115 minutes // A24 // Rated R